Bandage dispenser



May 10, 1955 R. w. NEWTON BANDAGE DISPENSER Filed July 16, 1,952

United States Patent BANDAGE DISPENSER Ralph W. Newton, New York, N. Y.,assignor of onehalf to Charles Fishberg, Leonia, N. J.

Application July 16, 1952, Serial No. 299,113

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-52) The present invention relates to bandagedispensing devices and particularly to a device adapted to dispense abandage having medication impregnated therein and to preventcontamination of the bandage prior to its use.

At the present time bandages are marketed in sterile packages but thepackage is opened and the required length of bandage cut from the rollat the time of dress ing a wound, for example, a burn. Usually thisrequires cutting the bandage, the placing of an ointment or othermedication thereupon and finally the placing of the bandage over thewound. The result of this is that the bandage, although sterile whenremoved from the package, is subject to contamination before it isplaced on the wound. Additionally, that portion of the bandage not usedis exposed to contamination until at some later date the remainder ofthe package is used.

My invention comprises a container provided with a cutting edge so thatthe required length of bandage can be removed therefrom in the conditionto be immediately applied to the wound and the remainder of the bandagecan be immediately resealed in the container thus preventingcontamination either of the piece then used or of the remaining bandagelength.

it is an object of the invention to provide a bandage dispensing devicefrom which a desired length of bandage may be removed without destroyingthe sterile condi tion of the unused portion of the bandage in thecontainer.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a dispensingdevice having a cutting edge integral with the container thereby tofacilitate the dispensing of a desired bandage length.

it is a still further object of the invention to provide means forclosing the dispenser and retaining the closure means in its closedposition.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a dispenser asset forth above which is readily manufactured and which is sufficientlyinexpensive so that it may be thrown away when the entire bandage lengthhas been used.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when thefollowing description is considered in connection with the annexeddrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bandage dispenser of my invention,one side being broken away in order to show the mode of storing the rollof bandage within the dispenser;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser, the view beingtaken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1. In this View thedispenser is shown with its closure means in open position and with alength of bandage being removed; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the dispenser in itsclosed position.

Referring now to the drawings, the dispenser comprises a housing whichis preferably made of metal although it may be formed of plastic orcardboard. Circular embossed areas 11 on either side wall 12 support aroll of bandage 13. The bandage roll is preferably placed in positionprior to the completion of the sealing of the package and maintainedsterile in any suitable manner as for example by the ordinary paperwrapping which is removed after the dispenser has been completed.

The housing 10 is generally cubical in shape and may be made of a singlesheet of metal properly formed from a blank in the usual manner, theedges being suitably fastened as by spot welding or the like. The top 14is bent upwardly along line 15 and'therefore the portion 16 tends tospring into open position as is indicated in Figure 2. Portion 16 of top14 is provided at its right hand edge, as seen in Figure 2, with asharpened cutting edge 17. The cutting edge 17 overlies a flange 18 bentinwardly from the front 19 of the container 10. In its closed positionas shown in Figure 3 the entire top member 14 extends horizontally andthe edge 17 clamps the end of the bandage against'the flange 18.

The parts are normally held in this position by means of a latch member20 to which latch is fixed a headed square pin 21 operating in a slot 22in the top member 14, the forward or right hand edge of member 20 beingslightly bent upwardly to form a bevelled edge.

When latch member 20 is moved rearwardly or to the left as seen inFigure 2 its right hand edge moves to a position beyond the line 14 andthe portion 16 of the top 13 springs into the position shown in Figure2. Then the end of the bandage which, due to its medication, may

be adhered to the upper surface of the flange 18 or the lower edge ofthe cutting surface 16 may be grasped and the required length pulledoutwardly.

When the length extending beyond the cutting edge 17 is that desired,the cutting edge is pressed into position against the bandage to clampit against the flange 18 and the bandage cut off by pulling it upwardlyagainst the cutting edge 17. The latch member 20 may thereupon be movedto the right as seen in the drawings and the top retained in closedposition.

it will be noticed that the cover member 14 has a slight oflset thereinadjacent to the cutting edge. This is so that when the member is inclosed position there is a tight joint formed between the sides and thecover. The latch member 20 overlies the slot 22 so that the bandagewithin the dispenser cannot be contaminated by the entrance of materialthrough the slot 22.

Although the device has been described as being formed of metal, it willbe understood that the device may be formed of other materials, such forexample as plastic or cardboard and that portions of the container maybe made or one material and other portions of another, as for example,the body of the housing may be of plastic with the cover member only ofmetal.

While I have described a preferred form of my invention, it will beunderstood that many modifications of the structure may be made withinthe spirit and scope of the invention. 1 wish, therefore, to be limitednot by the foregoing description but, on the contrary, solely by theclaims granted to me.

What is claimed is:

l. In a bandage dispenser, in combination, a housing, means forsupporting a bandage roll within said housing, a cover for said housing,said cover being formed from resilient material extending across theopen side of said housing and being attached to said side for a portiononly of its width, said cover being bent away from said open side forthe remaining portion, a cutting edge formed on said bent portion, andmeans for bending said unattached portion to closed position and forretaining it in that position.

2. In a bandage dispenser, in combination, a housing, means forsupporting a roll of bandaging material in said housing, a cover memberformed integrally with said housing, a fiangc extending inwardly fromthe front of said housing and underlying a portion of said cover memher,said cover member being formed of resilient material and being attachedto said side or a portion of its Width only, said cover being bent awayfrom said open side for the remaining portion of its width and beingurged to open position by its resiliency, means formed on the edge ofsaid cover member overlying said flange for cutting bandaging materialwithdrawn from the container, a latch plate slidably mounted on saidattached portion of said cover member and extending adjacent thenormally opened portion thereof, said latch plate exerting pressureagainst the normally open portion of said cover member when in one ofits extreme positions to thereby press said cover against said flangeand close the centainer. the end of the bandaging material being thengripped between the closed cover portion and the inwardly extendingflange, said latch plate when in its other extreme position permittingsaid bent up portion of said cover to open due to its resiliency.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said latchplate comprises a plate having a stem and further characterized in thatsaid stern extends through a slot in said cover member and said platecovers said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSi,7G4,044 Ingram Mar. 5, 1929 1,744,758 Gallaher Jan. 28, 1930 i,800 9l1Smith Apr. 14, 1931

